Patents by Inventor David D. Putnam

David D. Putnam has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8728692
    Abstract: A surface decorated particle including a core particle phase having an outer surface; and fine inorganic particles on the outer surface of the core particle phase; wherein the fine inorganic particles have hydrophobic groups covalently bonded primarily on portions of surfaces of the fine inorganic particles positioned away from the core particle phase. Such surface decorated particles are obtainable by a method including stabilizing dispersed hydrophobic phase particles in an aqueous phase with fine inorganic particles having a relatively hydrophilic surface; and treating the stabilized dispersed hydrophobic phase particles with a hydrophobic group containing reactant to form hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to surfaces of the fine inorganic particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mridula Nair, David D. Putnam, Shari L. Eiff, Cumar Sreekumar
  • Patent number: 8725052
    Abstract: Wax management systems are provided. In one aspect a wax management system has print positioning system having an input to receive a fused toner print having a toner image with a viewing surface that has first portions with wax globules and second portions without wax globules and a print positioning apparatus that arranges the print for wiping by a wiping system having a wiping surface that wipes the viewing surface to move at least some of the wax from the wax globules onto the second portion. A wax management device controller determines when fused toner print is at a temperature where the toner image is below a glass transition temperature of the toner and the wax is below a melting temperature for the wax and to position the print for wiping. The controller causes the wiping system to wipe the print after the controller makes the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: James Stephen Honan, David D. Putnam
  • Patent number: 8722304
    Abstract: A method for forming surface decorated particles including stabilizing dispersed hydrophobic phase particles in an aqueous phase with fine inorganic particles having a relatively hydrophilic surface; and treating the stabilized dispersed hydrophobic phase particles with a hydrophobic group containing reactant to form hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to surfaces of the fine inorganic particles. In a particular embodiment, the invention provides a limited coalescence process for preparing binder polymer particles using inorganic stabilizer particles that provide a plurality of surface bonding sites and reacting such sites with a plurality of alkoxy silane moieties that contains pendant hydrophobic groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Mridula Nair, David D. Putnam, Shari L. Eiff, Cumar Sreekumar
  • Publication number: 20130084116
    Abstract: Printers are provided having wax management systems. In one aspect, a printer has a print engine provides a toner image on a receiver using a toner having a binder polymer and a wax and a fuser having a contact surface that heats the toner at least to a glass transition temperature for the toner and the wax at least to an incorporated melting temperature to cause at least some of the wax to separate from the toner. A controller allows the toner image to cool to form a fused toner image having a viewing surface and the wax to cool to form first portions of the viewing surface with wax globules and second portions without wax globules. A wiping system wipes the viewing surface to move at least some of the wax from the wax globules onto the second portion when the toner image and wax are cooled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Inventors: David D. Putnam, James Stephen Honan
  • Publication number: 20130084114
    Abstract: In one aspect a method for operating a printer is provided in which a toner image is formed on a receiver using a toner having a polymeric binder and a wax. A contact surface is used to apply heat and pressure to heat the toner at least to a glass transition temperature for the toner and to heat the wax to at least an incorporated melting temperature. The toner image is allowed to cool below a glass transition temperature of the toner to form a fused toner image having a viewing surface and the wax is allowed to cool below the melting temperature for the wax so that after cooling the viewing surface has first portions with wax globules and second portions without wax globules. The viewing surface is wiped to move at least some of the wax from the wax globules in the first portions onto the second portions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Inventors: James Stephen Honan, David D. Putnam
  • Publication number: 20130084115
    Abstract: Wax management systems are provided. In one aspect a wax management system has print positioning system having an input to receive a fused toner print having a toner image with a viewing surface that has first portions with wax globules and second portions without wax globules and a print positioning apparatus that arranges the print for wiping by a wiping system having a wiping surface that wipes the viewing surface to move at least some of the wax from the wax globules onto the second portion. A wax management device controller determines when fused toner print is at a temperature where the toner image is below a glass transition temperature of the toner and the wax is below a melting temperature for the wax and to position the print for wiping. The controller causes the wiping system to wipe the print after the controller makes the determination.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Publication date: April 4, 2013
    Inventors: James Stephen Honan, David D. Putnam
  • Patent number: 8252414
    Abstract: Porous particles comprising a polymer binder and at least one additive distinct from any pore stabilizing compound present in the particle, wherein: the polymer binder comprises a solid compositionally continuous phase having an external particle surface; discrete pores are dispersed within the solid compositionally continuous phase, forming internal pore surfaces; and the at least one additive is present primarily in the discrete pores. The additive may further preferably not be present in the solid compositionally continuous phase, and be substantially absent from the external particle surface. A toner set for forming a color electrophotographic image comprising a plurality of different colored toners, where at least one of the different colored toners comprise such porous particles comprising additives, and in a particular embodiment wherein at least two different colored toners each comprise different pigments present primarily in the internal pores. A process of making such porous particles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2012
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: David D. Putnam, Mridula Nair, Mary C. Brick, Tamara K. Jones
  • Publication number: 20120077000
    Abstract: A process of producing an image including transferring porous polymeric marking particles to a receiver, and fixing the marking particles to the receiver by applying heat and pressure by contacting the marking particles with a heated fuser member including a topcoat layer having a storage modulus of at least 10 MPa at 175° C. In particular embodiments, the invention is specifically directed towards fusing porous toner materials, and enables reducing the image relief, toner spread, and differential gloss of resulting fused toner images. Higher gloss and reduced differential gloss is obtained at similar or reduced toner spread, measured by toner particle area gain, allowing the use of reduced fusing conditions compared to solid toners.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 24, 2010
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Inventors: David D. Putnam, Mridula Nair, Joseph S. Sedita, Charles P. Lusignan, Po-Jen Shih
  • Publication number: 20120028185
    Abstract: A method for forming surface decorated particles including stabilizing dispersed hydrophobic phase particles in an aqueous phase with fine inorganic particles having a relatively hydrophilic surface; and treating the stabilized dispersed hydrophobic phase particles with a hydrophobic group containing reactant to form hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to surfaces of the fine inorganic particles. In a particular embodiment, the invention provides a limited coalescence process for preparing binder polymer particles using inorganic stabilizer particles that provide a plurality of surface bonding sites and reacting such sites with a plurality of alkoxy silane moieties that contains pendant hydrophobic groups.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventors: Mridula Nair, David D. Putnam, Shari L. Eiff, Cumar Sreekumar
  • Publication number: 20120028181
    Abstract: A surface decorated particle including a core particle phase having an outer surface; and fine inorganic particles on the outer surface of the core particle phase; wherein the fine inorganic particles have hydrophobic groups covalently bonded primarily on portions of surfaces of the fine inorganic particles positioned away from the core particle phase. Such surface decorated particles are obtainable by a method including stabilizing dispersed hydrophobic phase particles in an aqueous phase with fine inorganic particles having a relatively hydrophilic surface; and treating the stabilized dispersed hydrophobic phase particles with a hydrophobic group containing reactant to form hydrophobic groups covalently bonded to surfaces of the fine inorganic particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Inventors: Mridula Nair, David D. Putnam, Shari L. Eiff, Cumar Sreekumar
  • Patent number: 8026034
    Abstract: An electrophotographic method for producing fused toner images on a receiver medium comprising the steps of: forming an electrostatic image pattern on an image forming member; developing the image pattern on the image forming member with fusible toner particles thereby forming a toner image thereon; transferring the toner image to the receiver medium; and heating the toner image to form a fused toner image on the receiver medium, wherein an amount of a plasticizer is added to the toner particles of the toner image after formation of the toner image on the image forming member and prior to or concurrent with fusing of the transferred toner image on the receiver medium, further wherein the amount of plasticizer added is effective in lowering the Tg of the toner below that of the toner under prevailing ambient conditions in the absence of the added plasticizer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2011
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Michael T. Regan, Mridula Nair, David D. Putnam, Joseph S. Sedita, Cumar Sreekumar
  • Publication number: 20100159384
    Abstract: An electrophotographic method for producing fused toner images on a receiver medium comprising the steps of: forming an electrostatic image pattern on an image forming member; developing the image pattern on the image forming member with fusible toner particles thereby forming a toner image thereon; transferring the toner image to the receiver medium; and heating the toner image to form a fused toner image on the receiver medium, wherein an amount of a plasticizer is added to the toner particles of the toner image after formation of the toner image on the image forming member and prior to or concurrent with fusing of the transferred toner image on the receiver medium, further wherein the amount of plasticizer added is effective in lowering the Tg of the toner below that of the toner under prevailing ambient conditions in the absence of the added plasticizer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2008
    Publication date: June 24, 2010
    Inventors: Michael T. Regan, Mridula Nair, David D. Putnam, Joseph S. Sedita, Cumar Sreekumar
  • Publication number: 20100021838
    Abstract: Porous particles comprising a polymer binder and at least one additive distinct from any pore stabilizing compound present in the particle, wherein: the polymer binder comprises a solid compositionally continuous phase having an external particle surface; discrete pores are dispersed within the solid compositionally continuous phase, forming internal pore surfaces; and the at least one additive is present primarily in the discrete pores. The additive may further preferably not be present in the solid compositionally continuous phase, and be substantially absent from the external particle surface. A toner set for forming a color electrophotographic image comprising a plurality of different colored toners, where at least one of the different colored toners comprise such porous particles comprising additives, and in a particular embodiment wherein at least two different colored toners each comprise different pigments present primarily in the internal pores. A process of making such porous particles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2009
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Inventors: David D. Putnam, Mridula Nair, Mary C. Brick, Tamara K. Jones
  • Patent number: 7601473
    Abstract: The invention relates to a developer for developing electrostatic images. The developer includes magnetic carrier particles at a loading of from 60 to 99 weight percent of the developer. Toner particles are at a loading of 1 to 40 weight percent of the developer. The toner particles include a resin core particle having an outer surface and 0.05 to 5 weight percent a first metal oxide powder is substantially fixed to the outer surface. The toner particles further include 0.05 to 2 weight percent of a second metal oxide powder that is substantially free to transfer between outer surface of the toner particles and an outer surface of the magnetic carrier surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2009
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Kevin D. Lofftus, Satyanarayan Srinivsan, David D. Putnam, Peter S. Alexandrovich
  • Publication number: 20080055380
    Abstract: Printing images on an intermediate member by jetting conductive ink containing a fluid and marking particles in an image-wise fashion onto an intermediate member. The ink is concentrated by application of radio frequency (RF) energy, focused on the ink image to remove a substantial portion of the fluid. The concentrated ink marking particle image, is then transferred to a receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Publication date: March 6, 2008
    Inventors: Michael T. Regan, David D. Putnam, Mary Christine Brick, Paul D. Yacobucci
  • Publication number: 20070298343
    Abstract: The invention relates to a developer for developing electrostatic images. The developer includes magnetic carrier particles at a loading of from 60 to 99 weight percent of the developer. Toner particles are at a loading of 1 to 40 weight percent of the developer. The toner particles include a resin core particle having an outer surface and 0.05 to 5 weight percent a first metal oxide powder is substantially fixed to the outer surface. The toner particles further include 0.05 to 2 weight percent of a second metal oxide powder that is substantially free to transfer between outer surface of the toner particles and an outer surface of the magnetic carrier surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Publication date: December 27, 2007
    Inventors: Kevin D. Lofftus, Satyanarayan Srinivsan, David D. Putnam, Peter S. Alexandrovich
  • Patent number: 6696212
    Abstract: Magnetic toner particles are disclosed. The magnetic toner particles contain at least one polymeric binder and at least one magnetic additive, wherein the surface of the toner particle contains particles of positively chargeable inorganic fine powder particles. The inorganic fine powder particles have a mean volume average particle size of from about 0.5 to about 7 &mgr;m, and a cleaning ratio of from about 0.1 to about 5.0 and a cleaning ratio being the volume fraction of particles between 0 and 1.0 &mgr;m, divided by the volume fraction of particles greater than 1.0 &mgr;m; and the toner particles having on the surface thereof a flowability improving agent having a BET surface area of at least about 30 m2/g. Methods of forming electrostatic images are further disclosed. Also, images formed from the magnetic toner particles are further disclosed and have excellent character void frequency, total void area, and suitable magnetic signal strengths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG
    Inventors: Dana G. Marsh, John F. Crichton, David D. Putnam, Robert E. Contois
  • Publication number: 20020192583
    Abstract: Magnetic toner particles are disclosed. The magnetic toner particles contain at least one polymeric binder and at least one magnetic additive, wherein the surface of the toner particle contains particles of positively chargeable inorganic fine powder particles. The inorganic fine powder particles have a mean volume average particle size of from about 0.5 to about 7 &mgr;m, and a cleaning ratio of from about 0.1 to about 5.0 and a cleaning ratio being the volume fraction of particles between 0 and 1.0 &mgr;m, divided by the volume fraction of particles greater than 1.0 &mgr;m; and the toner particles having on the surface thereof a flowability improving agent having a BET surface area of at least about 30 m2/g. Methods of forming electrostatic images are further disclosed. Also, images formed from the magnetic toner particles are further disclosed and have excellent character void frequency, total void area, and suitable magnetic signal strengths.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 27, 2001
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventors: Dana G. Marsh, John F. Crichton, David D. Putnam, Robert E. Contois